In the Woods
by Oniko
Summary: Secrets are buried in the woods. Dark, SSHG


In the Woods

By Oniko

Created by J.k. Rowling

Severus Snape, the Potions Master of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, moved through the Forbidden Forest like a shadow.  Barely a leaf turned at his passing and his steps were as silent as when he stalked the night-shrouded halls for errant students.  He was not after students at the moment.  It was his free afternoon and he was well rid of them.  He found this new freedom heady, freedom from the Ministry hounds, even from Dumbledore if he so wished, but mostly freedom from Voldemort. 

Voldemort was finally gone.  The clandestine war that the Ministry still refused to acknowledge had dragged on until it was brought to a head last year.  By none other then Mister Ron Weasley.  The Traitor coaxed his two classmates out of Hogwarts and into Voldemort's hands.  And still, Potter lived.  Weasley and Wormtail, the great Gryffindor Traitors were dead.  And so was Hermione.  The tale he heard, as soon as Potter was cognizant enough to speak some weeks later, was that Hermione intercepted a curse meant for him.  Her foolish, selfless action ensured her death, her willing death protected Potter much as his mother's had and, like before, turned Voldemort's own dark magic against him.  Damn fool should have been protecting her instead.  She was the only one of the three of them worth anything.  The boy should have been on his hands and knees thanking every god he could think to name that she even gave him the time of day much less cared about him as deeply as she did.  Severus shook his head, he could still hear her voice downplaying her own virtues as mere cleverness and book learning.  Foolishness, that she'd been allowed to believe that was utter foolishness.

Severus finally reached his destination and paused briefly to study the idyllic scene before him.  Sunlight streamed down through the opened canopy onto a rowan sapling crowded round with dense underbrush.  He started brutally cutting back the unwanted growth away from the little tree.  Dumbledore thought he was out harvesting potions ingredients.  If anyone at the school knew his real reason for coming out to the forest at every available opportunity his continuing employment would be the least of his worries.  

Once his task was finished he pulled out a small, unlabeled potion.  He spent many sleepless nights working on this formula.  It was a carefully blended growth potion to speed maturation without inviting any premature ailments that such potions sometimes caused.  He poured the potion over the Rowan's roots and watched as it grew and it's branches spread out above him.  Once the potion had finished its work he examined the almost mature tree for signs of any damage or disease.  There were none.

He placed his palm against the slender trunk.  It was unnaturally warm and he could feel the magic pulsing just under the bark, like blood under the skin.  The spell was old magic and dark though not unforgivable.  It required the body of a young witch to be buried with the seed of tree pierced through her heart and bound with spells to chain spirit and form to the tree that would grow.  The original spell would not suit his purposes at all.  That spell destroyed the mind and will of the witch, the precise things he wished to save.  So he delved into dark books and magics that he had turned his back on years ago seeking to modify the spell to suit his needs and preserve the most brilliant mind to grace Hogwarts halls in centuries.  All the while he kept her body hidden.  Severus had become skilled at hiding bodies through his many dubious acquaintances.  A skill even Dumbledore found to be of use from time to time.  

"Come on girl, wake up." He whispered roughly to the tree.  The spells were taxing and there was always the chance that he failed, as transfigurations was not his strongest subject and changing an established spell was difficult at best.  She deserved so much more then a cold grave, and if this half-life was the best he could offer her then that is what he would do.  Given time she would grow strong enough to leave the immediate surroundings.  He entertained the notion of guiding her back to Hogwarts one night, watching her eyes light up in delight again at the library.  He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the soft hands that brushed his hair from his face immediately.  He looked up into her gentle brown eyes.  "Hermione?"

She smiled at him and her whole face lit up.  She looked just as he had last seen her in class that morning so long ago.  Her wild mane of dark hair fell to her waist in a riot of curls.  Her body was unmarked by the curses she suffered before her death.  Even the skin over her heart, where he had carefully cut open for the seed, remained unbroken.  She was perfect.  

"Hermione…?"  He trailed off, how was he to explain shat had happened, what he had done to her.  Would she remember that she had died?  She smiled again, that breathtaking smile that he had only seen aimed at Potter.  She stepped forward and rested against his chest.  One hand curled around to his back and the other was tangled in the buttons on the front of his robes.  He could smell that scent that was uniquely hers, unmasked by perfumes or chemicals, and something new.  Moist rich earth and green shadows.  Without thinking he brought his arms up to wrap around her.  She was warm and soft and alive.  She pulled him close and kissed him gently while her fingers divested him of his robes.  The taste of her was heaven and the play of her fingers along bared flesh tantalizing.  Her body molded to his, soft curves that fit perfectly against his lean frame.  

When she started tugging at the buttons on his trousers he pushed her away forcefully and he berated himself for not foreseeing this side effect.  The insatiable desire was an integral part of the Dryad Curse and could not be completely removed without ruining the spell's structural integrity though he had tried to down play it's effects as best he could.  It obviously wasn't enough.  

"Hermione, no." He commanded, holding her away from him at arm's length.  She pouted and fidgeted, trying to work her way back to her previous position.  He gently forced her chin up to look him in the eyes.  She nuzzled and kissed the palm of his hand while making contented noises in the back of her throat.  "Hermione, do you remember who I am?"

She smiled at him again, her eyes were warm and happy but they were also empty.  Empty of the intelligence and bright curiosity that made her uniquely her.  There was no sign of Hermione in those velvet brown depths.  She was gone.  All of his work, his delving into dark magic, had failed.  Disgusted with himself for his failure and his weakness Severus grabbed his clothing and fled from the clearing. 

Fin

AN:  This is in response to the Picture the Story2 challenge on WIKTT for Fleab's beautiful pic, In the Woods. Feedback is much appreciated, especial constructive criticism, I am always looking to improve my writing.


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